Matapa sasivarna?

[Painted Jezebel]

Found this species today, which appears to habe blueish-green scaling on the thorax. I can only imagine this as Matapa sasivarna, though there is a second species with blue/green markings and that is Zela smaragdina. The markings are considerably smaller than those on the only other specimen of M. sasivarna I have seen personally, and that was in Ranong.

I am pretty sure it is the first named, but not positive, though the pale apical forewing areas (definitely there, not a trick of the light) worry me a bit! Whichever, it would be a +1 for Samui.

[Psyche]

It is Matapa cresta.

In Z. smaragdina the pale area on the forewing is narrow and the hindwing is dark blackish brown with a slightly paler peripheral area near the apex.

Both M. cresta & sasivarna are closely related which explain the greenish hairs. They both also have the abdominal tip orange.

In the Matapa key, cresta is at once IDed by its pale forewing area, so no mention is made of its body. Notice this paleness extend down to the dorsum in your 2nd pic. Note also upperside pale wingtip.
There is no mention of the pale area on the hindwing.

The underside forewing of sasivarna can also be slightly pale in the periphery which is why it is confusing.
M. cresta seems to be largely mis-IDed as M. druna on the net.
As stated in the text the male druna have a prominent pale arcuate brand.
An error in C&P4 plate 57 have the two males transposed. No 26 is male druna and no. 31 is male cresta.
This seem to be the main cause of errors on the net.
Examples of sasivarna.
http://gbear.myphotos.cc/friends/anagallis/albums/userpics/10002/normal_DSC_2505.JPG
http://tolweb.org/Matapa/95205
A faded male. Notice the forewing remains mostly brown.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZyJDzG-D6Ts/SGUG7G56OwI/AAAAAAAAH98/oghqfXV2Ud8/B_Matapa%252520sasivarna.jpg

You already have have M. sasivarna.
http://www.samuibutterflies.com/02_images/travels/thailand/ranong/Matapasasivarna.mv3.gif

M. cresta labelled as M. druna on the net.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5206/5271131044_9fda696965_z.jpg

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Matapa cresta. Damn, no +1!!!!

I did not think that M. cresta had the blueish base to the hindwings. I'm not sure if I showed the best photo for this aspect.

[Painted Jezebel]

You already have have M. sasivarna.
:


Yes, I realise that. That was why I was having problems with this specimen. It just did not look quite right, but I could not think what else it could be.

Anyway, M. cresta is fine with me, as I have had to borrow John Moore's photo from Chang Mai of this species up till now!

[Psyche]

There are a lot of errors on the net.
The key is quite specific about the pale area on the forewing underside.

Matapa druna which is deep reddish brown without any pale area is often mis-IDed as M. cresta.
http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/26318/wm/pd3183700.jpg
http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/26318/wm/pd2936768.jpg

Note the tornal orange in M. druna is not so prominent & often obscured.


A worn M. cresta.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6045624494_66ea772b76.jpg

A worn Matapa aria for comparison.
http://www.thaibugs.com/wp-content/gallery/hesperiidae/Matapa%20aria.jpg

TL Seow:cheers:

[Painted Jezebel]

Matapa druna which is deep reddish brown without any pale area is often mis-IDed as M. cresta.
http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/26318/wm/pd3183700.jpg
http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/26318/wm/pd2936768.jpg

Note the tornal orange in M. druna is not so prominent & often obscured.




Interesting. I would have ID'd both of these as Matapa aria!

[Psyche]

Interesting. I would have ID'd both of these as Matapa aria!

Gee showed me a large series of his Matapas. I probably mixed up quite a few because of the great variation in colour with photography.

TL Seow:cheers:

PS. M. druna is actually not quite so red-brown, but M. aria's colour is rather ochreous.

[Psyche]

Interesting. I would have ID'd both of these as Matapa aria!

You could be right.
After looking at a dozen of M. aria pics, I am wondering whether those two pics in post 5 are just overcooked M. aria.
Here are M. aria of various colours.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Y8Qd3VeIynk/Ro0urL1d9kI/AAAAAAAAAGA/d5KDEnOWS0s/s400/common-redeye-Matapa-aria.jpg
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Wallpaper/Nature/Butterflies/Skippers/ThaiCommonRedeye.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drsaji/3810471995/

Probably the hindwing cilia need to be distinctly orange to ID druna.
Here is a website where M. druna is present (all labelled as cresta ) Old with poor cilia colour.
1 & 4 M. druna female (orange abdominal tip)
2 & 5 M. aria male (thin dark brand)
3 & 6 M. druna male (large pale arcuate brand.)
http://www.boldsystems.org/views/taxbrowser.php?taxid=348589

TL Seow:cheers:

[MrGee]

I hope this helps, rather than hinders but here are my four pages for Matapa, based on the discussions between you (Les), Seow and me.

Matapa aria (http://www.rainbowlodgecambodia.com/butterfly.php?id=23)
Matapa cresta (http://www.rainbowlodgecambodia.com/butterfly.php?id=24)
Matapa druna (http://www.rainbowlodgecambodia.com/butterfly.php?id=25)
Matapa sasivarna (http://www.rainbowlodgecambodia.com/butterfly.php?id=26)

[Psyche]

[QUOTE=MrGee;109152]I hope this helps, rather than hinders but here are my four pages for Matapa, based on the discussions between you (Les), Seow and me.

Thanks Gee for the pics.
There is no problems with cresta and sasivarna.
The problem is differentiating druna and aria what with all the conflicting images on the net.
I think my earlier statement still holds, ie. the sharp contrast between the forewing cilia (pale) and hindwing cilia (orangey) ID. M. druna.

In your M. druna pic the worn individual on the left with the grey cilia on the hindwing should be M. aria. (I may have ID'd it wrongly in the past.)

TL Seow:cheers:
PS. Here is an example of the problem faced. From its ochreous brown colour this is without a doubt M. aria, but its hindwing cilia also looks orangey.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IeERXvorDwA/SG9ObGfGjvI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/wZw8Ke8n2v8/s400/CR_IMGP3690S.jpg

[MrGee]

Thanks Seow. I have removed the worn specimen from my site. I also recently shot an ochreous brown coloured Matapa with orangey hindwing cilia. So is the main distinction between M. aria and M. druna the ochreous colouring of M. aria or is it still better to distinguish based on the cilia? I have shots (one on the page linked above) that I think are M. aria because there is no contrast in cilia but the base colour is quite dark brown.

[Psyche]

To reiterate, the differences between the two are:

1 The forewing of male druna is sharper while that of aria is broader & rounder.
Perspective distortion in photography renders this very hard to judge.

2. The ground colour of druna is a deeper & darker brown. In aria it is ochreous brown, yellower in the female.
Again in photography there is a myriad of shades of colour, due to different lighting conditions & settings.

3. The hindwing cilia of druna is orange-yellow while that of aria is greyish-yellow.
Here is a definitive series of pics of Matapa aria. Notice that whatever the colour of the butterfly or state of wear, there is no/or little contrast between the forewing and hindwing cilia.
http://ifoundbutterflies.org/301-matapa/matapa-aria-dp1

Thus a strong contrast of colour of the forewing & hindwing cilia is indicative that the skipper in question is M. druna.

TL Seow:cheers: